Thursday, June 30, 2016

Disney and Steven Spielberg have joined forces for the first time in filmmaking history for the adaptation of Roald Dahl's book "The BFG". The film stars Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Rebecca Hall, Jemaine Clement, Penelope Wilton and Bill Hader.

The drama "Tallulah" is the feature film debut of "Orange Is the New Black" writer Sian Heder and it stars Ellen Page as a young vagabond who impulsively "rescues" a baby from a negligent mother and turns to the only responsible adult she knows, Margo (Allison Janney), who mistakenly believes she's the child’s grandmother. The cast also includes Zachary Quinto, Uzo Aduba, John Benjamin Hickey, David Zayas and Tammy Blanchard.

In an interview for Indiewire, Heder spoke about the real-life inspiration for this story:

"I used to work as a nanny for all the high-end hotels in LA and had a lot of weird experiences with mothers whose children seemed more like accessories than anything else. One night, I was so disturbed by the erratic behavior of a particular mother, I seriously considered taking off with the kid. I had been exploring the character of Tallulah already, based on a friend who was living off the grid out of her van. She was someone who lived with very little fear or sense of consequences for her actions. She seemed like the perfect person to steal a baby and set in motion a chain of events that could deal with some of the issues around motherhood and responsibility that I wanted to explore."

343 Industries has released an official trailer for their newly released Warzone Firefight multiplayer mode for the Xbox game "Halo 5: Guardians".

The mode is a mix of the new Warzone and the original Firefight introduced in "Halo 3: ODST", and it will allow 8 players to work together to survive five rounds of increasingly difficult, dynamic objectives set against a timer. The full range of REQs will be available from the start.

The update will also include three new maps, two new armors, the Halo 2 Beam rifle, customization options including HCS Pro League skins, Score Attack for campaign, a new Forge canvas, a new UNSC air vehicle, the new Warzone boss and the Warzone Firefight PvE game mode.

Director Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks have joined forces for the drama "Sully", which tells the true story of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who became a hero after gliding his plane onto the Hudson River, saving all of his 155 passengers. The event has been dubbed "Miracle on the Hudson", but the focus of the film isn't just the miracle landing, but also the investigation that followed, which almost destroyed Sully's career. Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Autumn Reeser and Anna Gunn co-star.

Video Game Description:HOW LONG WILL YOU SURVIVE? With over 2 million copies sold on PC (digital download), Indie hit 7 Days to Die has redefined the survival genre, with unrivalled crafting and world-building content. Set in a brutally unforgiving post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead, 7 Days to Die is an open-world game that is a unique combination of first person shooter, survival horror, tower defense, and role-playing games. It presents combat, crafting, looting, mining, exploration, and character growth, in a way that has seen a rapturous response from fans worldwide.

Details, available editions, system requirements and more after the jump.

"Trolls" is the latest animated adventure from DreamWorks Animation and the creators of "Shrek" that aims to transport us to a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters.

The film features the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Russell Brand, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop and Gwen Stefani. After the jump you can also listen to two songs from the film's soundtrack, "True Colors" (performed by Kendrick and Timberlake in May at the Cannes Film Festival), and "Can't Stop the Feeling", which is also featured in the trailer.

"Descent" is the third DLC Pack released for Treyarch's "Call of Duty: Black Ops III" and it includes four new multiplayer maps and Gorod Krovi, a new chapter in the game's Zombies campaign. Here's what players can expect from the new maps:

Empire: Treyarch adapts its Black Ops III movement system to the Call of Duty®: Black Ops II fan favorite map Raid. The re-imagining of this classic, medium-sized map features an authentic Roman villa that has been “recreated by a modern-day eccentric billionaire,” where a classic map structure mixes with the new gameplay mechanics of Black Ops III.

Cryogen: Located far off the coast in the Dead Sea, an isolated compound holds some of the world’s most dangerous criminals in frozen isolation. Sentry towers keep watch over the small map’s circular design as frenetic combat is funneled around the prison’s cryogenic tubes, where opportunities for wall running attacks abound.

Berserk: Ancient sentinels from a lost civilization guard the entrance to Berserk, a Viking village frozen in time. Players will fight through blizzards, and control the center bridge as they navigate this medium-sized map’s wooden buildings, deadly rocky outcroppings, and tight chokepoints.

Rumble: Gamers battle amongst larger-than-life mechanized warriors in Rumble, a stadium where giant robots battle to the roar of the crowd. This medium-sized map funnels high-speed combat to the central arena, where players battle their way through fallen mechs and pyrotechnics.

"Descent" will be available on PlayStation 4 on July 12, 2016, with other next-gen platform availability to follow.

Video Game Description: The No. 1 LEGO videogame franchise triumphantly returns with a fun-filled, humorous journey based on the blockbuster Star Wars film. In LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, players relive the epic action from the blockbuster film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, retold through the clever and witty LEGO lens. The game will also feature exclusive playable content that bridges the story gap between Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens also introduces Multi-Builds and Blaster Battles to the LEGO videogame universe. With Multi-Builds, use available LEGO bricks to open up new paths, then break them apart and re-build them again to open up another! And another! During Blaster Battles, use your surroundings as cover to stand against the First Order.

Details, available editions, system requirements and more after the jump.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Things were quiet in suburbia until the Joneses moved in. The comedy "Keeping up with the Joneses" stars Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis as a suburban couple who finds themselves involved in an international espionage plot by their ultra-sophisticated new neighbors played by Gal Gadot and Jon Hamm.

Monday, June 27, 2016

"Lights Out" is a horror film directed by David F. Sandberg, based on his own 2013 short film, and produced by "The Conjuring" helmer James Wan.

Teresa Palmer stars as Rebecca, a young woman who grew up terrorized by an unknown supernatural presence that only manifested in the shadows. When she left home, she was certain she had escaped her childhood fears, but now, her little brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) is experiencing the same terror. Rebecca is forced to face her fears and unlock the truth of this malevolent entity which seems to have a mysterious attachment to their mother (Maria Bello).

The first trailer and posters for the action sequel "Mechanic: Resurrection" have been released online.

Jason Statham returns as elite assassin Arthur Bishop, who is forced out of retirement by the deceitful actions of a cunning but beautiful woman (Jessica Alba). In order to find a way out of this dangerous situation, he must complete three impossible assassinations, and make them look like accidents.

Electronica Arts has released a new gameplay trailer for their upcoming hockey game "NHL 17", and a few images.

The studio is showing off the game as the best in the long-running franchise, with all-new game modes and a deeper experience through the best on-ice gameplay ever made. Let's hope that's all true.

"NHL 17" will be released on September 13th on PlayStation 4. PC fans will be disappointed to learn that this new installment will not be made available for them. There hasn't been an NHL game for the PC since 2008.

Video Game Description: In the dungeon-crawling first-person shooter Zigguratm become a neophyte sorcerer, and get ready for your rite of passage: Enter the labyrinth and face dangerous challenges to prove your worth and become a powerful wizard! The game focuses on fast-paced first person shooting, with an old-school vibe, and updated handling and game mechanics. Dungeon crawling and RPG/Roguelike elements are added into the mix, resulting in a fun, challenging and varied game, with lots of content to discover.

Details, available editions, system requirements and more after the jump.

This post contains all the news, trailers, movie clips, DVD/Blu-Ray releases and many more, that you may have missed in the last seven days, arranged in an accessible manner. Just browse and click the article titles you want to read. Read the full article to check out the weekly summary.

Friday, June 24, 2016

This week in theaters get ready for worldwide destruction as "Independence Day: Resurgence" hits theaters. If big CGI movies aren't your thing, you could go for Blake Lively in a bikini fighting a Great White shark in "The Shallows". If that still isn't your thing, check out the historical drama "Free State of Jones" starring Matthew McConaughey. For kinky horror fans, Nicolas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon" is now in theaters. More about each movie after the jump.

Synopses, details, critical reception, trailers, clips and more after the jump.

Today we have six new clips for Nicolas Winding Refn's horror film "The Neon Demon" which opens in theaters today.

As was the case with Refn's previous film "Only God Forgives", critics are somewhat frustrated by the director's focus on visuals, rather than story and characters. It's a stylish production and Refn definitely has a knack for haunting, surreal imagery, but the movie is ultimately painfully shallow.

STX Entertainment has released five new clips and fourteen images for the historical drama "Free State of Jones", which is now in theaters

Despite the film's strong premise based on a true story, critics didn't like it very much. While the cast offers some great performances, it's ultimately the execution that falls short, with a heavy handed, preachy tone and narrative inconsistency.

Jaume Collet-Serra's shark thriller "The Shallows" starring Blake Lively opens in theaters today, and Sony has released a batch of three clips, a B-Roll, and twenty-one new images for the film.

Even though critics are pretty hard on genre films like this, "The Shallows" succeeded in attracting a majority of positive reviews. The film offers lots of survival horror thrills and a fantastic performance from Lively, and some critics have even declared that it's the best shark movie since "Jaws".

"Independence Day: Resurgence" is now in theaters, and we have six new clips and eighteen images from the film.

As expected, given the genre and even the critical reception of the 1996 original, this sequel has been getting plenty of harsh reviews, but also some unexpectedly favorable ones, as well. It's dumb, poorly acted, badly written and filled to the brim with CGI, but if you're not too picky about your B-movie fun and enjoyed every one of Roland Emmerich's previous disaster flicks, you should definitely check this one out.

Video Game Description: Set in an apocalyptic 1986, the survivors of a zombie outbreak live on among the remains of human civilization, trying to survive this hell on earth by any means necessary. You play Randall Wayne, an introverted and slightly paranoid survivor searching the destroyed streets of Seattle for his loved ones. Through tense platforming and life-threatening zombie encounters you must decide whether to use scarce ammunition and weapons to decimate the horde, or navigate the environment to sneak past them and hide. There’s more than one way to survive against the walking undead remains of the human race, now known only as ‘shadows’.

Deadlight: Director’s Cut enhances the original Deadlight in every way. Improved visuals and textures bring even more detail to the remnants of Seattle, plus enhanced controls and new animations make Randall even more agile. Now you must fight for your life and put your survival skills to the test in Deadlight: Director’s Cut new game mode, the ‘Survival Arena’.

Details, available editions, system requirements and more after the jump.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Today we have a new international red-band trailer, as well as several images and posters for Nicolas Winding Refn's horror film "The Neon Demon".

The film stars Elle Fanning as an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles and becomes the target of a group of beauty-obsessed women who plan to devour her youth and vitality. Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Desmond Harrington and Alessandro Nivola co-star.

HBO has released the first trailer for their upcoming original comedy series "Divorce".

Created by Sharon Horgan ("Catastrophe"), the show stars Sarah Jessica Parker as a woman who suddenly begins to reassess her life and her marriage, choosing to make a clean break and try to start a new life. The cast also features Thomas Haden Church, Molly Shannon, Charlie Kilgore, Talia Balsam and Tracy Letts.

The first season of "Divorce" is expected to start sometime this fall.

Paramount has released the first official trailer and images for the sequel "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back".

Tom Cruise returns as the titular character who is once again thrown in the midst of a deadly conspiracy. The trailer doesn't waste a lot of time introducing the plot, focusing instead on how badass Reacher is and giving us a taste of the expertly crafted action sequences. And that's pretty much what a good action sequel trailer should be.

Co-written and directed by Edward Zwick ("The Last Samurai"), the film also stars Cobie Smulders, Aldis Hodge, Holt McCallany and Robert Knepper.

Capcom has released a new trailer and a batch of images for their upcoming online shooter "Umbrella Corps"

The game is a spin-off of the studio's famous "Resident Evil" franchise and it puts players in the shoes of an Umbrella operative, pitting them against zombies and mercenaries in various locations around the world that have appeared in previous games in the series.

Video Game Description: Mighty No. 9 is a Japanese 2D Side-scrolling Action game that takes the best elements from 8 and 16-bit classics that you know and love and transforms them with modern tech, fresh mechanics, and fan input into something fresh and amazing!

You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through twelve stages using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!

Every aspect of Mighty No. 9’s development—art, level design, music, programming, etc.—is being handled by veteran Japanese game creators with extensive experience in the genre, all the way up to and including the project’s leader, Keiji Inafune himself!

Details, available editions, system requirements and more after the jump.

Warner Bros is going crazy with the promotional material for their upcoming comic book blockbuster "Suicide Squad". The studio has released a total of twenty-eight posters, most of them focused on the characters. There are two different sets of character posters, each with a different style, as well as a banner and a few other one-sheets.